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Biotech measure worries Iowans Farmers fear an Oregon proposal to label foods with engineered crops would scare away customers. By PHILIP BRASHER Register Washington Bureau 10/09/2002 Washington, D.C. - A ballot measure in Oregon that would require labeling all foods with biotech ingredients could echo all the way to the farms of Iowa. Food groups and biotech companies are pouring millions of dollars into a campaign to defeat the proposal, fearing that success in Oregon would embolden anti-biotech activists to seek similar votes in California and other states. The Oregon measure is the first such ballot initiative in the nation and represents a change in tactics by biotechnology opponents, who believe the labels will discourage consumers from buying foods made from bioengineered products. Until now, anti-biotech activists have concentrated without success on getting the government to require labeling of biotech foods. "We look at this as a potential model for the rest of the nation," said Donna Harris, a Portland woman who led the petition drive that put the measure on the ballot. "This initiative is all about consumer choice. It's a right to know what's in the food, and it is a right to choose whatever food we want to buy." Her group, Oregon Concerned Citizens for Safe Food, gathered 101,000 signatures to get the issue on the ballot, with the help of a $30,000 loan from an organic-foods company. Farm groups and food companies fear the labels would stigmatize biotech products as unsafe and scare consumers away - a virtual "skull-and-crossbones," said Bob Callanan of the American Soybean Association. "There's definitely a concern that if this proposal succeeds in Oregon, that it could set a trend for other states," said Stephanie Childs of the Grocery Manufacturers of America. Genetic engineering involves manipulating the genes of plants or animals to introduce new traits, or splicing the gene of one species into another. The Food and Drug Administration says there is no justification for labeling biotech ingredients because they are materially no different from foods produced by conventional means. An estimated 70 percent of processed foods contain biotech soy or corn. Opponents of biotechnology say the safety of the foods hasn't been tested sufficiently. The Oregon proposal would require labeling any foods that are made or produced with bioengineered crops or substances. That would include processed foods that contain soy or corn as well as meat, milk and eggs from animals that eat biotech feed. Cheese that is made with biotech enzymes, a common practice, also could be covered by the measure. The labels would have to specify the source of genes that have been added to biotech crops. For example, "This squash contains viral genetic information designed to make it resistant to viral infection." Three-fourths of the soybeans and more than a third of the corn that U.S. farmers grew this year, including 41 percent of Iowa's corn crops, were genetically engineered. The crops are used widely for human food and animal feed. Craig Hill, vice president of Iowa Farm Bureau and a farmer from Milo, is typical of Midwestern farmers with whom gene-altered corn and soybeans have become highly popular over the past few years because they are easier to grow and can cut production costs. All of his soybeans this year and about two-thirds of his corn were genetically engineered. The corn was modified to be toxic to an insect pest, the European corn borer. He says he hasn't had to spray his corn with a chemical insecticide for three or four years. The fields of bioengineered soybeans can be sprayed with powerful herbicide without damaging the soy plants. "If there wasn't a market (for biotech crops), it would be difficult for me," Hill said. The coalition of companies fighting the Oregon measure have reported raising $4.6 million so far, primarily from Monsanto and other biotech companies. Harris' group, Oregon Concerned Citizens for Safe Foods, reported raising $83,000. Opponents of the measure say the labeling will raise the price of food by requiring special handling and processing for products. They say consumers who want to avoid genetically engineered products easily can do so by buying organic foods. Callanan, of the American Soybean Association, said there is no need to label biotech products. That would be "discriminatory and useless information as far as the consumer is concerned," he said. "That would be like the consumer wanting to know every herbicide that was used on a particular product, what dirt was it grown in, what kind of tractor that they use."Public opinion National polls on labeling biotech foods have yielded mixed results. Polls have shown support for labeling as well as for the Food and Drug Administration's position that such foods need not be marked. OREGON: No independent polling numbers on the Oregon ballot measure have been made public. PRECEDENT: "Oregon is stepping into a void that has been left open by our federal government's unwillingness to act," said Joseph Mendelson, legal director of the anti-biotech advocacy group, the Center for Food Safety. "This will certainly pave the way for other states and a larger debate on this issue." _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
